Introducing...

Our newest bundle of joy, Grant Wayne. :)

Boy! Has our life changed drastically in the last week! Wayne and I just find ourselves in awe of our precious family the Lord has blessed us with. Grant was born January 21st at 8:15 AM, and was 8 lbs 9 oz, 21 inches long. But maybe I should start at the beginning. :)

I was filled with anxiety the entire week leading up to the delivery. (For a short version of Jacob's birth and the reasons behind my anxiety, go here.) And the anxiety grew every day until it peaked the day of. On one hand I couldn't wait to hold my baby. I was so excited I couldn't stand it! But on the other hand, I was scared to death. Wayne was wonderful. I kept telling my doctor that he was the cure for my anxiety, and I would feel much better if he was with me the entire time. :) He wasn't able to be with me when I got the spinal, but my doctor assured us the cesarean would not start until he was in the room.

I cannot sing the praises of the anesthesiologists at UAB enough! After hearing what happened to me before, they were so patient with me. They assured me that those type "horror" stories only happen with epidurals, and they would make sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that I felt nothing. They even held my hands until Wayne got in there. And then I heard our doctor say, "Let Dad in!" Wayne walked in, they spit out the time for surgery to begin, Wayne got to me and I immediately asked, "Am I open?" And he said, "Yes baby you're open." Tears fell uncontrollably, and I literally said, "Thank you Jesus."

A few minutes later I could feel the numbing going up my body, and I said, "Hey Tom Sawyer (that was literally my anesthesiologist's name), my face is numb." He then warned me that I might not be able to feel myself breath, but not to get scared because my oxygen levels were fine. They then tilted the table with my head up a little and it very quickly went away. That was the ONLY time I got a little nervous during the delivery.

Before I knew it they were saying, "Here comes the baby!" and I heard the most precious sound. It was my second delivery and the first time I heard my baby's first cry. It was incredible. They showed him to me around the curtain, and before I knew it Wayne was off with our new baby to wait on me in recovery while he got cleaned up. It took about 30 minutes to get me closed up, and when they wheeled my bed into recovery the nurse had Grant sitting up and burping him. The first thing I thought was, "That is a little Wayne." He was absolutely precious. I quickly asked what he weighed, and then realized I had lost the bet! ;)

While we were in recovery, a friend Wayne works with came back with a camera my mother in law handed him so they could get a sneak peek at what the little guy looked like. When he took the camera back and they showed Jacob, he kissed the screen! And that has continued ever since. He loves his brother.

The first person to come back to meet the new addition was his big brother, and it was amazing how he knew that was "baby Gant." His two year old mind blows me away. They understand way more than we give the credit for. He loved and kissed on Grant, and Wayne and I were overwhelmed with joy.

Over the next 24 hours it was a little eventful. He had newborn rash that lasted a few days, he had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic they put in newborns eyes that caused his eyes to swell, he started projectile vomiting with the first bottle (this was caused from the c section), the pediatrician heard a heart murmur (that went away during our hospital stay - they say it's common in newborns), and he failed his hearing test in both ears (also from the c section - he passed the next day). None of this was anything serious, but it surely did seem like a lot at the time! Everything is clear now, and he has the most beautiful skin. Now that his face is not swollen, bless his heart, he looks exactly like his big brother did. He was just a pound smaller! :)

Thank you to all our family and friends who have kept us in your prayers. We could not be more thankful than we are for our two healthy boys! My heart did just about burst from joy last Friday. I am amazed at the blessings the Lord continues to pour out on us!

*Tons of hospital pics coming. I just haven't had time to go through them all! :)